Smoking May be Banned in Cars

(6/6/207)

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Studies show that smoking is bad for a person’s health. Even being around a person that is smoking can be unhealthy. It is called "second-hand smoke". Smoking is very bad for children. It may become illegal in California for a person to smoke in a vehicle when children are present.

The California Senate is considering a bill that would make it a crime to smoke in the car when children are inside. This law would be called SB 7. The author of the bill is a democratic senator from Long Beach. She says that she thinks this bill could protect kids’ health.

The senator from Long Beach thinks adults should be fined $100 for each violation. She believes that this would make them think twice about smoking when kids are on the car.

Some people do not like this bill. They say that it gives government too much control over what people choose to do. These critics of SB 7 are calling it a “nanny government” measure.

A republican senator from Grass Valley does not support the bill. He does not think that the government needs to tell people what they can or cannot do in their homes or cars. He also believes that this bill infringes on parents' rights.

This senator said that he knows that smoking can be dangerous. He does not allow smoking in his car when his grandchildren are inside. Still, he does not think that the government should make that decision. He believes that it should be left up to the parents.

The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has not said whether he would sign the bill or not to make it a law. When he was asked what he thought about adults smoking in cars when children were inside, he said that he thought it was terrible.

(This was adapted from an original story provided by News10 Rewrite.)

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